Police believe drugs trade was the motive of kamnan’s gun attack

Police have narrowed down the motives for last week’s gun attack of a kamnan in Wiang Kaen district of Chiang Rai to the victim’s no-nonsense efforts to suppress narcotic drugs in the district.

Police came to the above conclusion after a four-hour meeting yesterday at the chairmanship of Pol Lt-Gen Poonsap Prasertsak, commissioner of Region 5 Provincial Police Bureau.

Gunmen, riding on a pickup truck, salvoed another pickup truck driven by Mr Thaveesak Yodmaneebanpot, kamnan of Tambon Por, Wiang Kaen district with AK47 assault rifles, resulting to the death of his wife and young daughter while Mr Thaveesak and his son were seriously injured.

Pol Lt-Gen Poonsap, however, said that police did not rule out another motive regarding the protest against the demarcation of Phu Cheefah national park, but gave relatively little weight on the issue. Police also ruled out political conflict, noting that there wasn’t any political activity yet, he added.

In early April, troops from the Pha Muang task force and anti-narcotics officials seized altogether about 10 million methamphetamine pills and 700 kilogrammes of crystal Ice from a car in Ban Thai Charoen, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen district. Three suspects were also arrested, but they denied the charges.

Narcotics officials said this huge haul of drugs belong to the Wa and Muser tribesmen on the Myanmar side of the border.

YANGON (The Irrawaddy) — For possessing the phone number of an officer in an ethnic armed group, the itineraries of visits to Rakhine by Pope Francis and Vice President U Myint Swe, and police reports of violence in northern Rakhine State,...

"We are totally disappointed with today’s conviction. This conviction shows that we are in a bad condition, despite the appearance that the country is heading for a functioning democratic system, freedom of expression and rule of law"